Kokorohime: A Series of OneTwo Shots
by yukihime211
Summary: It was supposed to be a simple trip to the ice rink, but things don't always go as planned…The inexperienced skater is left to fend for herself until a chance encounter arises. Canpan Full summary inside.
1. First Encounter

**Hi everyone! yukihime211 here. It's been a while, huh? So here, I present to you my latest fic. Which revolves around Nyo! Japan. There will be several pairings involving her in this compilation of one shots, sometimes two shots (maybe even three if I need to break the chapter's down some) Also there will be several side characters as well. So feel free to send in your favorite pairings and I'll try and add them into the story. Anyways, most of these short stories will be set in an Alternate Universe and sorry in advance if some of the characters are a bit ooc. I'll only have a few that are done intentional. But I try to keep the main characters in...well in character. (Or at least as much as possible) So without further ado, here is my first installment!**

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><p>Pairing: Canpan Canada x Japan<p>

Yao Wang is normally a protective elder brother whenever it comes to Sakura Honda, his younger sister. However, with her always stuck inside doing who knows what on the computer, he takes matters into his own hands to set her back into the wild; AKA, the real world. It was supposed to be a simple trip to the ice rink, but things don't always go as planned….The inexperienced skater is left to fend for herself until a chance encounter arises. She unintentionally bumps into Matthew Williams, a young man known for his hockey skills and his ice skating. The event spirals into lessons Sakura pleads to receive in order to save face. Matt takes pity upon the girl and from there something seems to spark. The bubble of content is burst when another guy jumps into the mix and begins to form a rift between the two. Will the rift become repaired, or are the two destined to part for good?

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><p>Prologue<p>

Hetalia World Academy a prestigious school filled with students from all around the world. The building was large and brimming with flora and fauna with a forest nearby. The Academy housed students up until their university years.

Inside the high school branch of the Academy, two very distinct people would soon find their very destinies intertwined.

"Yo, Sakura!" exclaimed an upbeat male voice.

Honey colored eyes shifted from the several papers in hand and met bright blue ones.

"Eh?"

The cheerful blonde gazed down at the petite girl, her raven colored hair neatly tucked into place.

"How's it hanging?"

Sakura was use to his strange ways of greeting, so she nodded lightly.

"I'm fine...Is there something you'd like to talk to me about?" she asked curiously.

An embarrassed, dimpled smile crossed his features and he fixed his glasses slightly.

"Well, yeah. There was actually. Ya' see, usually I'd be the one being the hero, but there's something I'd like you to help me with..."

Sakura stared up at Alfred expectantly.

"Really, and that would be...?" she trailed.

Alfred took a step forward and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I-"

A red figure bolted in their general direction and suddenly, Alfred was pushed a good few feet from his previous spot. Alfred's brow twitched in annoyance when he spotted the professional body guard that is… in his eyes anyway.

Now, you'd expect the so called body guard to be all buff with arms filled with numerous tattoos. But this one...well not so much. This one was a little under 5'7 with silky black hair tied in a ponytail, cat like amber eyes, pale, almost translucent skin, and a slim figure. If you're wondering...yes this body guard is indeed male no matter the outward appearances.

"Ah, Sakura! There you are. I have been looking all over for you, aru."

He ushered the girl towards the door.

"W-wait. Yao-nii. I was just in the middle of a conversation with Alfred-san," she explained, looking back at the poor boy.

Yao stopped in his tracks and glanced over at Alfred almost menacingly.

"Oh really, I hadn't noticed."

His tone was rather cheery, but Alfred had caught the spark in his eye just before Yao reverted back to a sweet smile. Sakura had no idea...Just the way Yao had wanted it.

Sakura broke free from Yao's grasp.

"Not to be rude or anything, but why are you here?" she asked him.

Yao looked on innocently.

"What? Am I not allowed to visit my sweet little sister every once in a while?" he asked.

Alfred rolled his eyes.

_"Not this again...how many times has it been, three times in one week?"_

Sakura seemed to buy the story.

"Oh...I see. But aren't you supposed to be in class?"

Sakura could be quite naïve when it came to these kinds of things, which was all due to Yao's constant interventions.

Yao shrugged off her question quite easily.

"Oh, it's fine. I don't have to worry about my credits, if that's what you're worried about. I have everything under control."

Which was true. What with him being at the top of his class. Something both he and his little sister shared in common; among other things. Like their complexion.

"Ahem...I'm still here ya' know," Alfred remarked.

Sakura flushed slightly.

"Eto...Sorry about that Alfred-san. Now what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

Before Alfred had time to answer, the bell rang.

"I just wanted to know if you had finished today's math homework. Kinda hoping you'd lend it to me so I could look over my answers. But it doesn't matter anymore," he quickly answered.

Obviously, Yao knew it was a lie. He glanced down at Sakura, who at the moment looked a little down as Alfred retreated.

"Oh...I see."

He hated seeing his precious sister so downcast...and to think he was the one who caused it.

"I know! Why don't we have lunch together?" he decided.

Sakura merely nodded her head as she collected her things to head off to lunch. The two walked side by side, with Yao chattering away happily, with Sakura tuning in and out.

Just as the two were about to sit down to eat, Sakura soon realized something.

"Oh! I forgot my notebook back in the classroom..."

Yao studied her for a moment.

"Do you want to go get it?"

She nodded and he sighed softly.

"I'll save you a seat. Try not to dawdle," he warned.

Sakura smiled slightly, nodding.

"Wakarimashita."

She turned back, heading into the empty hallways. Or so it seemed… She passed a boy maybe a year her senior. If Sakura had paid attention, she would have realized that his features were very similar to a certain outspoken blonde. If it weren't for the fact that this blonde had longer, wavier hair and violet colored eyes.

The two stopped almost in sync, standing back to back several feet from each other. Something was buzzing inside their ear, telling them to turn back. They stood still for maybe a few seconds before they brushed off the strange buzzing and then continued back on their way.

_"That was weird..."_ the two thought to themselves.

Chapter 1

First Encounter

Yao Wang, a feminine looking young man in his early twenties with long raven colored hair pulled in a low ponytail and amber colored eyes sat in the dining room. A porcelain teacup rested on the table, the steam billowing gently up into the air. Faint clicks of time passing resonated lightly in the background from a clock hanging from the wall.

It was designed with a cute looking cartoonish white cat with a bow on her head. It was odd to see a grown man hang up something so…so cute. But he treasured the thing dearly. (That and his collection of stuffed animals) Yes, Yao was a bit odd with his love for cute things, but nonetheless he was entitled to his own tastes.

But that wasn't really important…

What was important was that it was past noon and a weekend…yet there were still faint clicks going off from within a white door, decorated with intricate cherry blossoms. Residing within, was the petite figure belonging to a certain reclusive younger sister. Her eyes glued to the computer screen.

Yao was not going to stand for it. He stood from his seat and marched to the room, wrenching the door open. The room was rather dark, yet surprisingly clean.

"Aiyaaa! Sakura-chan, enough is enough!"

He pulled her away from the computer and simultaneously clicked the log off button.

"Yao-nii?"

Her face was filled with confusion and Yao sighed.

"You have been cooped up in your room all day. I think it's about time you take a break from your online social life, aru."

She looked at him with her honey colored eyes, lip quivering slightly.

"Is that really necessary?"

Yao's eyes widened a fraction and he looked away, shaking his head.

"Don't think you can sway me with those eyes!"

Sakura couldn't help but pout a bit. However, she knew this would be a losing battle on her part.

"Well then…what do you suggest I do?"

A light smile crossed Yao's face. He produced a flyer seemingly out of nowhere. Sakura stared at the paper for what seemed like an eternity. Dread quickly appeared on her face and then she looked at her big brother with confusion.

"Eh?"

Yao couldn't wipe of the Cheshire like smile off his face.

"You better bundle up," was his only response.

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><p>Friday night…<p>

_Ksh ksh woosh! _The constant sound echoed in the frozen arena along with the outcries coming from the stands. Cowbells clanged on all sides.

Out on the ice, the puck slid sporadically, passed around from one person to the other and then intercepted.

Time was ticking as the game was quickly drawing to an end. The Visitor's side was on top by a small fraction. Wood clashed against wood as hockey sticks met. There was no chance that Home would win…that is not without their secret weapon.

"Williams!" barked out the coach.

Violet eyes framed with glasses stared up at the coach attentively from the bench. He stood up and slipped on his gear. A single blonde curl stuck out on the side, freed from the rest of his wavy hair. The two locked eyes for a moment as he made his way over to the coach.

"Show 'em who's boss!"

Williams nodded and skated over to the rink. A glint passed through his glasses and the usual mild mannered young man was suddenly gone….

Later…

"Would ya' look at that! Another come from behind win! How many does that make George?"

The young commentator glanced over at his senior with over the top cheerfulness.

"A three game winning streak, Bob," answered a tired looking man somewhere in his late fifties.

Bob bobbed his head and turned back to his microphone.

"And to think, it's all thanks to number four Williams…eh what's his first name again?"

George shook his head.

"Matthew. I swear, you're always forgetting his name, even though he's the star player," he mumbled under his breath.

Bob seemed to ignore George's sourness and just chuckled.

"Another Celly is in order then, right Coach?" he asked, directly talking to the winning team's coach.

The coach was rather husky, with his black hair pulled back in a ponytail and skin shaded a dark hue. His trademark flowered shirt was hidden under the sports jacket he decided to wear that afternoon.

"If you ask me, they should go back to training instead of going out celebrating," he scoffed.

The players stared on blankly; use to their coach's training banter. They all knew he liked to party.

Teammates turned to Matthew, grins on their face as they pretty much surrounded him.

"Nice work Williams! Just what you expect from our quarterback," said one guy.

Matthew looked over, blushing slightly.

"Uhm, thanks."

The teen never really let his accomplishments give him a swelled head. However, once off the ice rink, most people forgot he even existed…

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><p>Saturday morning…<p>

"Okay, just take it nice and easy," Yao said patiently.

Sakura stood just outside the rink, holding onto the railings and shook her head.

"I…I can't," she said, blushing with embarrassment.

Yao secured a hold on the slim girl and settled her onto the ice. She slipped clumsily, holding onto her brother for dear life.

"Now, you have to spread your legs if you want to keep balanced."

She looked up at the ceiling, sighing heavily.

"Wh-why couldn't we have picked a different outing?" she mumbled.

Yao tilted his head.

"Eh? You say something Sakura-chan?" he asked innocently.

A dark cloud loomed over Sakura's head. So that was the reason. Their training was rather short lived when a certain light haired figure closed in on them.

"Ah, privet! I had not expected to see you here, comrade," a thick accented male voice bellowed.

Yao stiffened some and turned to the tall Russian man.

"Ivan, it's _nice_ to see you again," he greeted nervously.

Sakura looked on skeptically.

"Nii-san? Do you know this man?"

Yao fidgeted some, nodding slowly. "Ivan" looked down at Sakura for the first time, his violet eyes almost boring into her.

"You are so tiny. How cute! She is your sister, is she not?"

Yao instinctively stood in front of her.

"Yes. She is my little sister Sakura. Sakura, this is Ivan Braginski a…former classmate of mine."

The two stared at each other, giving off a sort of awkward tension. Well, at least on Yao's side. Ivan seemed to be as carefree as ever. The aura seemed to drive away several people skating nearby. Others just watched in fascination. It was silent for a moment, but the spell was soon broken. Sakura slipped around, skidding and swaying currently unaware of what was happening, as she was still trying to become accustomed to the ice.

"N-nii-san!"

Yao looked down at Sakura apologetically and secured a hold on her again. Ivan chuckled lightly.

"This scene, it has an old time feeling, yes?"

Yao's head was downcast. Sakura nearby, couldn't help but gasp softly. A pained smile seemed to cross his lips.

"Yes…it does."

Ivan swirled around them, a childlike smile still planted on his lips.

"I know, let us all practice together!"

Before Yao had time to protest, Ivan's large gloved hand encased his own and he began pulling him further into the middle of the rink.

"Eh? W-wait!"

Sakura could feel the grasp the two had kept was slowly slackening and a sudden stream of skaters passed between them, cutting them off completely.

"Yao-nii!" she called out, only to have her voice drowned out by blades slicing the ice.

Somewhere in the crowd, Yao looked on with slight panic.

"Sakura?"

Ivan giggled slightly, his grip on Yao never lessening.

"She will be fine. This will help her learn faster!"

Yao's gaze darted everywhere, but with Ivan's brute strength, he had no choice but to stay by his side. He whispered a soft apology, hoping somehow that the thought would reach his precious little sister.

As the mass seemed to lessen, Sakura began to realize that she was alone; stranded in the middle of the ice rink…with little to no experience on ice skating under her belt.

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><p>Matthew stepped onto the ice rink, a calming feeling washed over him. He was glad to get out of the house. Not like anyone ever really bothered to know where he was… He took note that it was fairly crowded that afternoon and all he wanted was a few hours of practice. Not that he needed it, but he wanted to keep his abilities sharp. Well, he would just have to make do, he supposed. He decided to just skate around the rink a few times to warm up. As he did so, he was suddenly swept off with a large crowd.<p>

"Hey, watch it!"

An irritated older man snarled. Matthew was a bit taken aback, and then went back on his way. That is, until he saw a small figure struggling to stay upright.

"_What's a beginner doing in the middle of the ice rink?"_

He looked around, noting that no one seemed to bother with the poor thing. He just couldn't bear to watch any longer. He made his way over, intent on helping out.

"Excu-," he began.

A few boys, maybe around twelve encircled the figure scoffing lightly. Matthew had a feeling things wouldn't turn out well from here…

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><p>"You're being unfair!"<p>

A certain bushy browed man rolled his eyes.

"Unfair? You think I'm being unfair? When you deliberately disobeyed me?" he asked, English accent fairly noticeable.

Alfred planted himself on the chair, mumbling something incoherent.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

Alfred looked back up, with a deepened frown.

"Don't do this; don't say that…Mom was right. You are a control freak!"

Arthur stood, unfazed.

"Be as it may, I would very much appreciate it if you would head back upstairs so I may think of a suitable punishment for your actions."

Alfred stared longingly at the door, but bounded up the stairs.

He looked ahead stonily and entered his room, adorned with several sports trophies and pictures. Alfred was a popular kid, no use getting around that. So what if he had stayed out late? He deserved to have the privilege. A party to celebrate his football team's victory was all he had anticipated for. If he hadn't gone, the party would have died down from boredom. So what if he had arrived home around two in the morning? Arthur was just being a killjoy.

He grabbed a comic book from his desk and plopped onto his bed, and for a while he was content.

There was gentle scratching coming from his closed door. Alfred tilted his head slightly and turned the knob, slowly opening the door. Standing around in a whiny state, was a white cat, dark eyes looking up at Alfred expressively.

"Kuma? What's wrong? Are you hungry?"

He picked up the cat and looked around.

"Now that I think about it…where's Mattie?"

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><p>"How lame…I can't believe that someone your age can't even stand up, let alone blade properly." A young boy scoffed.<p>

His honey colored hair was tucked away under his light blue hat. His large brows stood proudly atop his eyes and his pale blue eyes stared on at her. Sakura flushed heavily as she continued looking on searchingly for her brother.

"_Where could he be?"_

She somehow managed to gain some balance and she secretly glanced at the boy triumphantly. Now…how to move forward?

Sakura tentatively shifted a bit forward. A devious smile crossed the boy's face.

"Why don't I give you a little…" he began as he drew near.

Right when he was behind the poor girl, he raised both arms slightly and gave her back a forceful shove.

"Push!"

Sakura lurched forward and cried out in surprise.

"_I'm going to fall!"_

She shut her eyes tight, extending her arms out so when she hit the ground she wouldn't land on her face. However instead of meeting the ground, she literally fell into someone's arms and her own instinctively wrapped themselves along the person's stomach.

"Uh hey…A-are you alright?"

Sakura opened her eyes to see her face buried in red. Wait…a hoodie? Slowly, she looked up to see striking light violet eyes staring down at her. Those gentle eyes belonged to a young man. He looked around her age too…At that moment, scarlet flared her cheeks.

"I'm fine…Ah! S-sorry!" she apologized.

Sakura pulled away abruptly, and ended up falling on her behind. Matthew looked on with slight amusement and held out his hand.

"Are you sure?"

She looked to the ground, embarrassed beyond belief and tentatively took his hand. He helped her up.

"Yes…"

Matthew observed Sakura quietly for a moment. For some reason, he felt as if he had seen her somewhere before…

"First timer?" he question.

She nodded slightly.

"Is it that obvious?"

A light smile crossed Matthew's features.

"A little…"

The boy who had previously pushed her snickered slightly, but a boy maybe a few years older with slightly golden colored hair and dark blue eyes shifted uncomfortably.

"T-that wasn't very nice, Peter. You should apologize…"

The boy, Peter, groaned.

"Why should I Raivis? I mean, I was only trying to help her."

Raivis looked around nervously, as if he was looking out for someone.

"Well…Because it's the right thing to do. A-and besides, you might get in trouble…"

Matthew stared at Peter with a frown.

"You should listen to your friend. You may think it is all fun and games, but if you keep fooling around like that, someone could get hurt," he said sternly; however his voice was still kind of soft.

Sakura couldn't help but feel touched that Raivis and the other boy were standing up for her. Peter however wasn't impressed.

"Whatever…I might reconsider once she learns how to blade properly. Heh. Maybe you could even give her a few pointers," he remarked as he gave Matthew a smug look.

He turned away, with Raivis trailing behind him. The two decided to head out after that. Sakura looked downcast, her bangs slightly covering her eyes. Matthew looked down worriedly.

"Um…Don't let him bother you…are you okay?"

He bent down a bit to take a good look at her. Matthew bit his lip and lifted a hand to pat her head, when she suddenly whipped her head up with determination in her eyes.

"I know we have only just met, but I'm begging you! Please teach me how to ice skate properly," she pleaded.

Matthew stared on dumbfounded, his hand still in the midst of trailing to her head, but he quickly retrieved it when he saw the confused look on her face.

"Eh?"

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><p><strong>Well, there you have it. Part one of Chapter 1 I'll probably have the next part up soon. Also, yes Sealand is really OOC...sorry. _ (Don't get me wrong, I love Sealand! I even RP as him. But we needed a bit of foil here to get things going.) Feel free to correct me if you see any mistakes and I'll be sure to correct them. Well, until next time! Also, yes this is my first Hetalia fic...so bear with me.<strong>

**Whoops! Forgot to put up the disclaimer... ^^; I own nothing as Hetalia rightfully belongs to Hidekaz Himuraya**


	2. Chapter 12 Lessons and Tension

**Hi everyone! yukihime211 here. Here's the next installment of First Encounter. I had planned to make this a one shot...but I can't contain myself. _ This will likely end up being broken up into more chapters. But don't worry~ I'll still get to the other pairings. ^_^**

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><p>Pairing: Canpan Canada x Japan<p>

Yao Wang is normally a protective elder brother whenever it comes to Sakura Honda, his younger sister. However, with her always stuck inside doing who knows what on the computer, he takes matters into his own hands to set her back into the wild; AKA, the real world. It was supposed to be a simple trip to the ice rink, but things don't always go as planned….The inexperienced skater is left to fend for herself until a chance encounter arises. She unintentionally bumps into Matthew Williams, a young man known for his hockey skills and his ice skating. The event spirals into lessons Sakura pleads to receive in order to save face. Matt takes pity upon the girl and from there something seems to spark. The bubble of content is burst when another guy jumps into the mix and begins to form a rift between the two. Will the rift become repaired, or are the two destined to part for good?

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><p>Chapter 1.2<p>

First Encounter: Lessons and Tension

The blonde stared down at the raven haired girl. How was he supposed to answer to that? To teach someone to ice skate was hard enough; especially to a complete stranger… The small Asian girl looked on with realization.

"Eto…I should probably properly introduce myself. My name is Sakura Honda, Second year in the high school division at Hetalia World Academy," she greeted sheepishly.

The name clicked. He was pretty sure that she was the second year's top student. Her name always came first on the list posted on the bulletin board.

"Uh, it's alright. Matthew Williams, Second year. I also go to Hetalia World Academy…"

He wasn't sure what to add on from there. After a few moments, he decided to improve his response.

"S-so what made you ask me for help with ice skating?"

Sakura bit her lip, trying to form an intelligent answer. In all honesty, it was a bit of a spur of the moment ordeal. She gazed down at the ground and noticed Matthew's skates. They were black with several scuffs, proving to be used quite often and she guessed the pair was his own as a faint initial was scratched on the heel.

"Eto…You give off the impression that you've been doing this kind of thing for years, is all."

She then grew quiet, staring at Matthew expectantly. Matthew in turn, fidgeted some and after some consideration finally decided to give an answer.

"O-I mean, alright. I'll teach you to the best of my ability."

Sakura smiled softly and tried to bow in respect, but remembered they were still standing on ice.

"Ari-…Thank you so much for your cooperation."

Matthew nodded slowly, mentally readjusting his schedule to fit in time to even make this work. It would hopefully not interfere too much with hockey practice among other things. He looked back down at Sakura once he broke out of his reverie.

"No problem…"

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><p>Hardened eyes gazed at Yao and Ivan, jealousy filling her up. Long platinum hair fell past her shoulders and her dark colored eyes flashed with slight insanity. Natalya stood just outside the rink mumbling about something.<p>

"Big brother…what is he doing with that skank? I shall put a stop to this immediately! No one steals my brother away from me! He's mine, and someday the two of us will get married," she said in a low voice.

She stepped onto the ice rink, her mind swirling with ways to separate the two; none all too pleasant. A few of the separation tactics weren't even legal!

"Ivan…You've had your fun. Now let go of my hand. I need to get back to Sakura," Yao pleaded.

Ivan tilted his head lightly. His large violet eyes looked on innocently.

"Hm? You are acting as if you do not want to be near me."

Yao kept his gaze glued to the ground. He tensed up again and didn't respond for the longest time.

Why are we not able to be together longer? Like before…"

Yao looked up with hesitance. His amber eyes stared deeply into his Russian companion's own eyes. He parted his lips slightly.

"I-," he began.

Natalya crept up on the two, a dark aura surrounding the three. She gave her brother a soulful gaze.

"Big brother~"

Ivan seemed to stiffen immediately. Ever so slowly, he turned around to face his younger sister.

"'Sestra…"

The three stood frozen, as if time had stopped. That is, until Ivan bolted towards the furthest reaches. Luckily, he had finally released Yao's hand at that point. Natalya went after him not even a second after he took off.

"Come back!" she cried.

Ivan shook his head, his heart beating rapidly. He didn't take the time to even look back.

"Go away! Go away!"

Yao watched with slight amusement, and slapped his hand to his mouth, attempting to stifle his laughter. He slowly inched away in realization.

"Now to make my escape," he mumbled.

* * *

><p>Sakura shifted her weight and plopped onto the ice with a thud. She winced, rubbing her side gingerly. Who knew learning how to ice skate would involve so many bruises…Matthew skated over and outstretched his hand.<p>

"You've almost got it…" he encouraged.

Sakura gazed at his hand, but stood up on her own. If she was going to learn how to skate, might as well learn how to get up on her own too.

"Really? I'm not so-," she cringed, sucking in her breath.

If she felt the sting now…she wondered how tomorrow would be like? Matthew grew silent for a moment.

"Maybe we should stop for the day. We've been at this for quite a while now, you know. You're bound to become sore from all the tumbles you've taken."

Sakura shook her head and wobbled slightly. She grabbed onto Matthew's arms for slight support and looked up at him with determination.

"Let's do one more lap around the ice rink," she insisted.

Matthew sighed, and couldn't help but smile slightly. In the end, he gave in to her pleas.

"Alright…Just one more lap, okay? And then we'll end our session."

* * *

><p>Arthur sat in the dining room table wearily. Single parenting was slowly taking a toll on him. Sure, he and his ex-wife had been separated for quite some time, but he never really had to look after the boys. It stayed like that for a few years, until she hit some rough times…. When the case finally arrived to the court and the divorce papers were signed, things just sort of went in his favor. What with him having a steady job as a literature teacher, he had gained custody over the kids. Let's just say Alfred didn't take that too well…<p>

"Good God Marie… How did you manage handling such a rambunctious and disobedient child?" he muttered to no one in particular.

He sat up from his slightly worn chair to check up on Alfred. He may not be the 'coolest dad' but he remembered his younger years and the groundings he received. He also remembered his own escapades.

Slowly, he traveled up the stairs towards the second floor and took a right, where he was met with a handmade sign tacked to the door. 'Do not disturb! –signed, the Hero.' The sign was adorned with a crudely drawn Superman and several sketches of stars, rockets, as well as other astronomical things. The sign was slightly worn, as it had been crafted several years ago by a certain prepubescent son of his.

Arthur knocked briefly and twisted the knob of the door, peeking into the dimly lit room.

"Alfred?"

The teen in question swiveled around from his desk chair with a magazine in hand. He gazed at Arthur with alarm.

"Dude! Didn't ya' read the sign?"

Arthur exhaled deeply, running a hand through his messy blonde hair. As usual, he received no respect from Alfred. He closed his emerald eyes for a moment before staring at Alfred with strictness.

"Now, see here! Have you forgotten that it was _I_ who sent you to your room?"

Alfred sunk back into his chair and picked up the magazine, almost as if he hadn't heard a word Arthur had told him.

"Chill out Artie. You don't have to have a cow. I'm in my room, right?"

Arthur's jaw slackened.

"Artie…Did you just call me **_Artie_**? Alfred Kirkland! I am your father! To address me as such is just…just preposterous."

Alfred didn't look up, but a shadow was evidently cast. His hands trembled a bit.

"mylastnameisn'tkirkland," he replied speedily.

Arthur looked on with puzzlement. He didn't quite catch what Alfred was trying to say.

"What?"

Alfred looked up, hands clenched tightly.

"It's Jones! Not Kirkland."

The utterance was a slap to Arthur's face. Those simple words held so many meanings. The room was silent and Alfred took the time to take a peek at Arthur's face. So much pain…Alfred quickly looked away and gazed at the desk.

"But…why?"

Arthur's question was so soft, that Alfred almost didn't catch what he had said.

"Isn't it obvious? How can I call you my father when you weren't even around for almost five years? And then you just waltz in and claim Mattie and me when mom's down in the pits like it's nothing?"

Jones…He was Alfred's coach back in middle school...The man that had somehow weaseled his way into their lives (Alfred, Matthew and their mom) and most especially into Marie Williams' heart. The two had been together since. Almost like a replacement father. (At least in Alfred's eyes) Alfred was hopeful when the marriage proposal was brought up a few months before the divorce papers were signed. Then the four of them would officially become family. But shortly after, everything crumbled. His mom had lost her job, Tony ran away, and Coach Jones had gotten into a car accident.

It wasn't fair!

* * *

><p>"Attention everyone! There seems to be a missing child on the ice rink. The child is a young female with black hair, light brown eyes, and standing approximately at five feet. By the name…Sacku-," began an announcer.<p>

A sound of struggle was soon audible along with an irritating ring from the microphone. Almost everyone stopped what they were doing and winced.

"Aiyah! How disgraceful. Can't even pronounce my adorable sister's name…Sakura Honda! She's sixteen, almost seventeen years old. If you come across her, please tell her that her 'Nini' is looking for her."

The crowd looked around and few glanced at Sakura. Her face flushed heavily. She couldn't believe her ears! She kept her head low, unable to face anyone. Matthew looked over his shoulder when he came to realize that she was lagging behind. He skated back to her curiously.

"Sakura? Who's Nini?"

Sakura's head shot up, still blazing. She didn't respond as more ruckus filtered from the microphone.

"Sir! That is not for public use!"

Matthew watched as the shade intensified. He wondered just how many more shades it could turn. Sakura buried her face in her hands.

"Yao-nii…What are you thinking?" she mumbled.

Matthew watched the usually composed girl look on with complete and utter embarrassment. He looked around, trying to find out where the microphone had been set so he could take a look at this 'Nini' person.

An echo soon resounded along with a loud gasp.

"Sakura!"

Not even two minutes after someone called her name, Yao soared towards Sakura. He circled around her and examined her to see if she had retained any injuries.

"Are you hurt? You must have been so sca-," he began.

Sakura put a hand up to stop him. She shook her head as Matthew looked on cautiously.

"Yao-nii…I'm fine, really," she said with a bit of annoyance.

Yao sighed and grabbed onto her hand as his eyes darted everywhere to make sure the persistent Russian wasn't around. He didn't seem to realize that Matthew was nearby, let alone know that he had anything to do with Sakura.

"Good. Now, let's go home."

Sakura looked on with alarm. Home? Already? He pulled her along. Matthew rubbed the back of his head gently and skated towards them.

"Excuse me…"

Yao didn't seem to pick up Matthew's voice.

"Wait! Yao-nii, I still need to-"

Yao cut her off, when he saw a familiar bow. He dragged her along at a faster pace.

"No time for that! We'll talk more once we get in the car."

Once off the ice rink, he quickly untied both ice skates and sent them to the drop off area.

"But Nii-," Sakura began again.

She looked back at Matthew, whom was still on the ice rink. He looked back at them with a bit of hurt and most of all, confusion. Yao continued pacing as Sakura slipped on her own shoes.

"Sakura, not now..."

She cringed a bit. It had been a while since she had heard Yao sound so insistent and serious. Sakura glanced at Matthew apologetically and the siblings turned towards the parking lot.

Matthew watched their retreating back and sighed.

"Bye…" he mumbled.

So much for practicing…

* * *

><p>The weekend seemed to pass by quickly as Monday soon followed. Thus, classes had resumed as normal. The hallways were roaming with students. A certain top ranked student silently headed for her locker, large books in hand. Sakura reached her locker, balancing the heavy books precariously as she stretched for the lock combination. There was a large slamming noise from the entrance and several students couldn't help but look over.<p>

"Ve~ Sakura!"

Sakura couldn't help but chuckle slightly. She knew that voice anywhere. Curly auburn hair settled into a high ponytail swished around excitedly. Shoes clattered noisily against the tiled floor. The speed seemed to increase and head for her direction. She braced herself for the oncoming attack.

"Felicia! Don't run in the halls!" a slightly accented voice boomed.

Of course, trailing right behind the bubbly Italian was the pale blonde companion. Icy blue eyes flitted around with a sense of strictness behind them. The tall figure sighed heavily as she weaved through the crowded hallways. As per usual, the auburn haired girl paid no mind to her German friend; which was why her destination wasn't exactly met…

A strewn bag was settled on the floor and right in the line of the young Italian's course. With her arms spread and a silly grin on her face, she ultimately faced her fate; a face plant right into the tiled floors.

After putting away her books, Sakura scuttled over to her friend.

"Felicia-chan! Are you okay?"

A soft groan followed and Felicia sat up, rubbing her forehead slightly. She looked up, smiling slightly.

"Si… It's-a just a little bump," Felicia assured cheerfully.

A few band aids adorned her knee and hand. Ever the klutz, she tended to injure herself on more than one occasion in a single day. The German girl finally reached the two and sighed heavily.

"Vhat did I tell you?" she mumbled.

Felicia giggled lightly.

"Heh heh…I was just so-a happy to see Sakura is all…"

Sakura looked up towards her German friend and greeted her a little distractedly.

"Eto… Good morning Monica-san."

Monica Beilschmidt helped Felicia Vargas stand up from the ground and dusted off the bubbly girl. She then turned to Sakura.

"Guten Morgen Sakura. I apologize for Felicia's reckless behavior. I hope she didn't cause too much trouble," she replied.

Ah, yes… Monica always seemed be 'babysitting' Felicia and apologizing for her usual thoughtless acts. The two were practically inseparable. Sakura shook her head.

"Ie. It's fine. Besides, we all know she means well and there really is no reason to apologize. No one was injured…other than herself maybe."

The busty blonde sighed and frowned slightly at Felicia.

"No, it is vital to apologize. Someone else could have been hurt in the process…Felicia how many times must we go over this? There's a reason why we do not run in the hallways," she reprimanded.

Felicia stared at the ground with a bit of a pouty face. She twiddled her fingers.

"I said I was sorry, didn't I?"

Actually, she didn't apologize. But Sakura wasn't about to say anything. Monica shook her head.

"No, you didn't. Whatever…we should just head to class."

Sakura chuckled slightly and nodded. The three walked to class side by side. The three chattered lightly about the usual things like last Friday's test and a bit about their weekend.

"Did you have fun ice skating with your fratello?" asked Felicia curiously.

Sakura recalled Saturday's venture and sighed.

"Not exactly…"

She went on to briefly explain what had happened that day and Felicia couldn't help but giggle lightly once she got to the part about Matthew. Monica rolled her eyes and the three finally entered their English class.

Once in the class, their brief talk was extinguished. Sakura looked on searchingly. Almost as if something seemed off. She retrieved her homework from her binder and noticed a yellow sticky note stuck on it. She sighed. It was another note from Yao. He must have put it on there that morning before heading off to his part time work. It was usually a peppy little note to uplift her mood. The bell rang and everyone settled into their seats so attendance could be done and over with.

Whilst the teacher took attendance, a long pause soon followed when he reached a certain name. He looked up with puzzlement.

"Does anyone know where Alfred Kirkland is?"

A lightly tanned girl in the back raised her hand. Her hair was pulled into low twin tails and held with red ribbons.

"I stopped by this afternoon to drop off some stuff at his place. He said he wasn't able to make it. I'm pretty sure it's some sort of family issue," she explained.

That's it! Alfred wasn't around… Sakura was a little disappointed. She had been meaning to apologize to him ever since the 'brother issue' occurred.

There was always next time she supposed…

* * *

><p>Kirkland's residence…<p>

"Ugh…"

The grandfather clock near the entrance chimed heavily. Several paintings adorned the walls and a large glass cabinet was brimming with priceless tea sets dating from two years ago and back to the eighteenth century. An heirloom, per say. Roses were placed inside a vase and settled onto a small cherry wood table beside the cabinet. In the living room, a large window was cloaked with thin white curtains. With the sun rising steadily, the light crept into the room and directed its gaze towards the couch.

Arthur woke up with a hammering headache; the Englishman was splayed on the flowered sofa. He noted that he was still dressed in a white cotton press shirt and black pants. His clothes from the night before were wrinkled heavily and his red tie was strewn on the coffee table. Almost everything about him at the moment was disheveled. A bout of dizziness filtered his body and his throat felt raw. He managed to sit up, but winced when he felt the sun practically blind him.

Soft padding clicked onto the floor and Arthur couldn't help but wince at the slightest noise.

"So, you're awake," noted a soft sounding voice.

Arthur slowly turned to see the bespectacled teen looking on with a frown and a glass of water in hand.

"Alfred?" he managed to choke out.

Alfred sighed heavily and shoved the glass of water into Arthur's hand as well as a few pills. Arthur systematically took the pills and popped them into his mouth and gulped down the water. His throat seemed to appreciate the fill of H2O, but his headache remained. A puzzled expression crept its way onto his face as he looked on still a little groggily. Slowly, the gears in his head seemed to work and he looked at Alfred accusingly once he took a look at the time on his wristwatch.

"Young man! Why aren't you in school?"

Alfred crossed his arms and stared back evenly at Arthur.

"I should ask you the same thing, _teach_," he countered.

Just as Arthur was about to answer, he felt a queasy sensation at the pit of his stomach which was quickly rising towards his throat. He lunged for the nearest trash can and emptied the contents of whatever he had eaten the night before. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and looked up with questioning. He could vaguely remember what he had done yesterday…

"Judging by your expression, I bet ya' don't even remember what happened last night, do you?" noted Alfred.

Alfred sat in the recliner chair and motioned for Arthur to have a seat in the couch. Arthur managed to settle himself back onto the couch with a trash can nearby, just in case.

"Alright, explain," Arthur croaked, his throat aching once more.

Alfred sighed heavily.

"Figures last night would be foggy. I mean, you came home like, utterly wasted."

Well, that was a bit of a given, seeing in the state he had appeared that morning. The fog began clearing some and soon Arthur recalled bits of last night.

_Flashback…_

Sunday, 8:00 pm

Arthur had spent the majority of the weekend wallowing in depression. Alfred's words continued playing in his head. He wasn't wrong, but…the words were still pretty heavy. In his pensive mode, he hardly noticed when the phone started ringing. After its incessant ringing, the phone was finally picked up.

There was a gentle knock against Arthur's door and he wearily cracked it open.

"Um…dad, phone," mumbled the quiet teen.

Arthur blinked, grabbing the phone.

"Ah, thank you Matthew…"

Matthew nodded lightly and turned back when he felt his cat nuzzling his leg.

"You hungry?"

He walked off and Arthur was left alone.

"Hello?" he grumbled.

In all honesty, he wasn't really in the mood to talk to anyone.

"Hola, mi amigo!"

Arthur couldn't help but frown slightly.

"Oh, it's you. What do you want Antonio?" he grumbled.

Antonio chuckled, easy going as ever.

"Que? A guy can't invite one of his closest friends to get a drink?" he asked innocently.

Arthur rolled his eyes. Not this spiel again… It happened at least once a month. Maybe even more… Antonio Hernandez Carriedo would only ever call him whenever relationship troubles would arise with his ever moody girlfriend. Thus, he'd make the excuse to go out to drinks when really he was there so she could cool off long enough to let him back into the house. Antonio would usually say something along the lines that she was just really sensitive.

It wasn't like he didn't have any other friends that he could go out drinking with…Like Gilbert. However, he was also kind of biased. (Mainly because of a certain violent Hungarian)

_"Kesesesese! Sensitive, you say? That's a nice way to put it, but if you ask me, she's just PSMing. Like a certain bitchy, whiny, not to mention crack- ow! What the Hell was that for? Oh…ehehe hey Lizzie. When did you get here?"_

Thus, he resolved to call his long time…rival to come along. Sure, they may not agree on some things, (okay, a lot of things!) but at least Arthur was a gentleman. Meaning, he used tact. (And though Chiara probably wouldn't admit it, she liked him a lot better than Antonio's 'good for nothing friends') So for Antonio, it was a win-win situation. (At least most of the time)

"What did you do this time to set Ms. Vargas off, hm?" he questioned.

Antonio shrugged, but since Arthur couldn't exactly see him shrug, he decided to respond.

"No se. I mean, all I said was that she was looking more and more like a ripe tomato."

Arthur face palmed. What with Chiara usually blowing things out of proportion, of course that would set her off!

"Git! Haven't you learned by now not to mention something like that? To her, it must have sounded as if you were calling her fat!"

Antonio blinked a few times, and shook his head. Arthur hadn't gotten it right at all. He wouldn't even think to call Chiara fat besides, she was far from that!

"But I meant that as a compliment. Whenever she gets so flustered, es tan adorable!"

Oh… Well that certainly wasn't what he expected. Then… he didn't see why Chiara had kicked the bumbling fool out of the house.

"So…anyway, what do you say?"

Arthur paused for a long moment. Well, a few drinks didn't sound too bad right about now; especially due to the drama taking place at home. Besides, this was practically like a ritual, in which he hadn't partaken in a few months now.

"Meet me at the usual place in twenty minutes. But it's not like I did this for you or anything! I just need a bloody drink is all," he mumbled.

Antonio chuckled. Sometimes, Arthur was just too easy.

"Ok. Whatever you say Arturo…"

Arthur frowned.

"How many times have I told you…? Do not call me that!"

The line went dead and he quickly scanned his closet for something to wear.

Time skips…

"Sir, I think you've had enough…" mumbled the young bar tender.

Antonio ran a lightly tanned hand through his dark brown hair, attempting to brush off bits of debris as his dark green eyes scanned for his companion. However, he easily spotted him wailing about all his troubles to a coatrack.

"I cun hold my liquor jest fine!" Arthur replied drunkenly.

Antonio couldn't help but chuckle lightly to himself. It was just so amusing. He'd never seen Arthur in the state he was in at the moment. Sure, he'd have a few drinks, and all…

"Oi! Arturo, are you having a nice long chat with your…friend there?"

Arthur looked at Antonio with glazed eyes and he scowled, swaying as he walked towards the Spaniard.

"Wut? Ya' bloke! Don't just butt into our conversation. Are you patronizing me?"

Several people gazed at the scene playing out worriedly.

"Should we call the police? I mean… that guy's making quite a scene and all…" muttered a young woman.

Antonio paid the tab and began dragging away the distressed Brit from the bar.

"Vamanos Arturo."

Arthur continued shouting obscenities whilst they traveled towards Antonio's car. Luckily, he had only drank about two beers and that had been a little over two hours ago. (The designated driver, that is) After buckling in, Antonio decided to drive him back home. He couldn't help but notice a bit of the similarities that Arthur and Chiara had; such as their potty mouths…and the fact that they were rarely true to themselves.

The ride seemed rather long, as Arthur's drunken anger turned into hopeless sobbing.

"Can you believe it? My own son, disowning me! Why am I such a failure with parenting?"

Kirkland Residence…

Matthew paced inside the living room as the clock struck as 2 am rolled along. Alfred was probably in bed, but he had stayed, waiting for Arthur to return home.

"It's unusual for dad to stay out so late…" he whispered.

As much as he knew that Alfred enjoyed his sleep, he needed his big brother right now. After all, he had tried calling Arthur's cell, yet to no avail. All that picked up was the voice mail.

With his mind set, Matthew quietly climbed up the stairs and towards Alfred's room. He knocked gently on his door, where he could hear his audible snoring.

"Uh…Alfred? Can I come in?" he whispered.

There came no response. The cycle was like that for about five minutes before Matthew got fed up and he swung the door opened. He walked up to Alfred's form and shook him.

"Wake up."

Alfred mumbled incoherently, a stuffed animal in the shape of a gray alien was cradled in his arms.

"mrmrm…burgers…mrmm…fries…Captain America is here to save the day!"

Matt slapped a hand to his mouth, chuckling softly. He shook his brother again, a little more forcefully.

"Come on…wake up," he pleaded.

Alfred sat up in bed quickly, "Curse you Corporal Carbs!"

He looked around groggily, unaware that his younger brother was muffling his laughter.

"Whu- Mattie? *yawn* Why are you up? Somethin' the matter?' he mumbled.

Matthew finally got over Alfred's strange outbursts and got to the point.

"It's dad."

Alfred frowned, not really in the mood to hear about him. Especially this late at night…but nonetheless, he grabbed his glasses.

"What about him? Ya' really thing I'd like to talk about him at this hour? It's two in the freaken morning," he whined.

Matthew was a little surprised at his harshness, but pushed past it.

"He hasn't come home yet. I'm worried something might have happened to him…" he whispered.

Alfred sighed, grumbling and got out of bed.

"Good for nothing father…" he mumbled.

He strode down the stairs, his hand reaching for the home phone, when there was an abrupt knock on the door. Alfred heard what sounded like a man talking to another person who was busy wailing about something. He looked on searchingly and found a bat. (Hey! You never know when one of those comes in handy)

He peered through the peephole and spotted a disarray of blonde hair hunched over the railing and another person with dark hair standing at the door. He opened the door and set down the bat nearby, just in case.

"Ah! Alfredo! It has been years since I last saw you. How've you been? You were just a little guy up to here," Antonio said, and positioned his hand about waist length for emphasis.

Alfred glanced over at the hunched figure and back at Antonio.

"Hey…Yeah nice seeing you again Mr. Carriedo," he greeted.

Antonio noted Alfred's distraction and laughed lightly.

"Sorry for coming over so late, but your Padre got a _little _tomado."

Matthew peered towards the door curiously.

"Alfred…what's- dad?"

Arthur managed to look up with glassy eyes and somehow clung to his kids.

"Oi! How ya' doing my boys? I missed the lot of you dearly," he slurred.

Alfred frowned and glanced at his slightly alarmed brother. He couldn't believe that Arthur had gotten drunk off his ass when he was fully aware that tomorrow was a school night.

"What happened?" asked Matthew.

Antonio scratched the back of his head and turned to Alfred.

"Nothin' Mattie. Dad's just drunk. What set him off _this_ time?"

Antonio hesitated to answer but, they needed to know.

"Bueno…on the way home, he was saying something about you disowning him? But that might just be the alcohol talking."

Alfred felt Arthur tighten his grip on them, and that confirmed what he suspected. Matthew looked on with puzzlement. Disowning? He had never heard something so preposterous. He turned his head towards Alfred. It wasn't like Matthew was clueless as to how much Alfred disliked their father, but he would never be so harsh as to disown him….or was he?

"Uh, thanks for bringing him home…"

Antonio nodded and turned to his car. The two watched him drive off and into the road. Now that he was gone, it was time to deal with Arthur. The two managed to pry Arthur off them and led him towards the couch, where he immediately crashed.

End Flashback

"Mattie wanted to stay home from school to take care of you, but I convinced him to go anyways…'sides it my fault this happened in the first place…" Alfred mumbled.

Arthur buried his face in his hands, reprimanding himself for being such an idiot! It seemed that he had just caused more strain into their broken family…

* * *

><p><strong>Whoops! Forgot to put up the disclaimer... ^^; I own nothing as Hetalia rightfully belongs to Hidekaz Himuraya<strong>

**I hadn't originally planned for the whole daddy issues tension going on with Alfred and Arthur, I just kind of went with the flow of things. But, I kind of like it. XD Sorry for the long chapters. I have a tendency to do that, thus updates are rather slow. Next installment of First Encounter will be up soon. That's when things really start getting juicy. XD**


	3. Chapter 1 part 3 Secrets

**Hey everyone! Yukihime211 here. It's been quite a while, huh? Well, I don't exactly have internet access at the moment, but I'll try to post when I'm able to. Um, yeah I just can't seem to cut the Canpan story in just three parts. T_T So It'll probably be longer than expected. Four/Five Chapters tops. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or it's characters. They belong to Hidekaz Himuraya**

* * *

><p>First Encounter<p>

Chapter 1.3

Matthew slipped into his classroom, unnoticed. Which wasn't something new. After attendance, lessons commenced, but Matthew just couldn't pay attention. Not without worrying about Arthur. He knew that Alfred had told him he would take care of him, but that still didn't keep him at ease.

"Matthew… Matthew? Ahem, Mr. Williams!"

Matthew practically jumped out of his seat.

"Y-yes?" he asked meekly.

A few students giggled in response to his actions. He silently wished that he could go back to being invisible again… The teacher sighed softly.

"Try to pay attention next time, alright? Now turn to page eighty eight in your text book," she explained.

He nodded mutely and class resumed as usual. How embarrassing… After that incident, he managed not to delve too much on the family topic.

/0/0/

The bell rang and everyone began clearing their first class, heading for their second. With some books in hand, Matthew walked through the hallway absently that is, until he spotted a familiar face.

"Sakura," he called out, weaving through the crowd in an attempt to get to her.

She was talking with a tall blonde girl and a bubbly brunette. He assumed they were her friends. When Sakura heard her name being called, she looked around and saw Matthew waving slightly. To say the least, she was a little surprised. She waved back with curiosity.

"Is that him?" teased Felicia.

Sakura nearly jumped when she realized that she was still with Monica and Felicia.

"E-eh? Ah… yes," she replied with pink dusted cheeks.

Matthew finally reached the girls a little out of breath.

"Um… Hi," he greeted.

Felicia giggled and Monica nodded in acknowledgement.

"Hello," Sakura greeted back.

He shifted a bit, a little nervously.

"So… Was everything okay when you left on Saturday?" he asked rather awkwardly.

Sakura's face heated up as she thought of the event.

"Ah! Y-yes. Everything is fine! Onii-san ano… my elder brother was being hasty for some unexplained reason, but nothing to worry about, really. I sincerely want to apologize for his rudeness," she explained.

Sakura bowed rather deeply and a few students looked over curiously. Matthew waved his arms and shook his head.

"A-ah, you don't have to bow. It's fine, really!" he said trying to reassure her.

Felicia nudged Sakura teasingly and she stood up straight, still blushing.

"Oh! I'd like you to meet my friends, Felicia and Monica," introduced Sakura hastily.

Matthew smiled and nodded.

"Nice to meet you. My name's Matthew," he replied.

Felicia couldn't help but giggle and glance at Sakura before looking back to Matthew.

"We know."

Monica poked Felicia and stared at her with a hardened gaze as if signaling to shut up. Matthew looked on with confusion as the warning bell rang. Only a few minutes left to get to class. Monica grabbed a hold of Felicia's arm and started dragging her away.

"We need to get going," she insisted.

Sakura tightened her grip on her books and looked on gratefully at Monica, who in turn nodded and cracked a smile.

"I'd better get going as well…" Sakura informed as she turned to walk away.

Matthew placed a hand on her shoulder and she turned back.

"Wait," he insisted.

She blinked a few times and stared up at him expectantly. He removed his hand and chuckled nervously.

"Well, I was wondering about our skating lessons. Or… would you rather just forget the whole thing?"

Sakura tittered softly. Of course she hadn't forgotten and she definitely wanted the lessons. She didn't want to make a fool out of herself.

"Don't worry; I'm still up for lessons. I mostly spend my time studying, but I have my schedule fairly open. What times and dates are best for you?" she asked.

Matthew appreciated the fact that her time was lax. He gave her a few dates and she diligently wrote them down on her planner. The bell rang and Sakura gasped. She was late!

"Er… We should probably start heading to class… Sorry. Didn't mean to take up too much of your time," said Matthew.

She accepted his apology, and the two quickly sprinted towards their classes.

0/0/

Yao wiped down a table and he settled the dirty dishes on top of one another, whisking it away to the kitchen. Faint music played in the background as a few people quietly conversed with one another whilst they ate. It was a fairly slow day for the restaurant.

Now, what would a top of the list college student be doing at a restaurant? What any hardworking person would be doing: working. As it stood, it was just him and his little sister living in their decent sized home. Sure, their father sent them money every now and then, but hardly enough for certain expenses.

For a while, Sakura insisted she get a job as well, but after much persuasion, he managed to convince her that her focus on studying came first.

Yao walked back into the open and one of the hostess' looked over her shoulder at him.

"Yao, could you seat the next customer? I'm a tad busy," she said in a sugary sweet voice that made him want to gag.

He managed to smile and nodded. He grabbed a few menus from the stand and planted a polite smile as he made his way towards the entrance.

"_I must play nice with the kiddies if I want to keep this job."_

At least, that's what he kept telling himself. He finally approached the customer a little distractedly.

"Welcome. So how many will be joining your party?"

A light chuckle arose and Yao looked up.

"I had no idea you worked at a restaurant."

Ivan looked on innocently and Yao nearly froze in place.

"Ivan? What are you doing here?" Yao hissed softly, making sure his boss was out of sight.

Ivan tilted his head, smiling.

"I came here to eat, what else?"

It couldn't be a coincidence that Ivan had entered this specific place to eat; first the ice skating rink, and now here? Well… the ice rink wasn't too farfetched, seeing as Ivan took enjoyment in such activities. Ivan hardly went out to eat unless they served vodka. Which wasn't exactly on the menu here…

Yao sighed and led Ivan to a table. He weighed his options, but there wasn't really a way to get rid of Ivan since he was pretty much a paying customer. Maybe he could ask one of the other workers to take him out of his hands… He turned away to prepare a glass of water for him.

A nosy bus girl approached Yao curiously.

"The customer a friend of yours?" she questioned.

Yao felt his mood darken a bit as he glared down at the girl.

"Don't you have some tables to attend to?"

A shiver ran down the girl's back and she retreated.

"Touchy…" she muttered under her breath.

Yao sighed heavily and returned to Ivan's table, setting down the water.

"Would you like something to drink other than water?" he asked systematically.

Ivan thought for a moment.

"How about a shot of vodka?"

Yao shook his head. He knew this was coming.

"Sorry, we don't serve vodka. Would you rather have a beer or maybe some iced tea?"

Ivan couldn't help but frown, but decided against drinking any other alcoholic beverage if all of it was pretty much American. Instead, an iced tea sounded like a good idea. Before Yao had a chance to turn back towards the kitchen, Ivan grasped the man's arm and pulled him into the booth beside him. Yao protested as Ivan drew him close. Yao's boss exited his office, making his rounds. A hand snaked around the petite man's waist which made Yao in turn, pinch him.

"Ivan. I have no time for games. I'm on the clock. If there's something you want to talk to me about, it's going to have to wait until my shift is over," he explained hastily, then turning back towards the kitchen.

A somewhat mischievous smile fell across Ivan's face.

"I might just take you up on that offer."

0/0/

Arthur managed to remove himself from the couch and make a sluggish walk to his bathroom to clean up. He'd been moping around long enough. Alfred had long gone went to his room after Arthur had shooed him off, saying he was perfectly fine. Though he doubted that was true, Alfred left him to fend for himself.

"Some role model I've become…" Arthur mumbled.

He turned on the shower and stepped in, attempting to wash away all his troubles away. But he knew it was futile…

/

Alfred sat in his room, playing video games. Sure, he could have used the time to do homework or something, but he felt he deserved some fun.

He pressed pause on the game when he heard a familiar tune coming from Matthew's room. Curious, Alfred walked out of his own room and entered his brother's. He quickly found the object making the noise; Mattie's cell phone.

"Who'd be calling Mattie's phone at this hour?" he wondered.

The cell stopped ringing. Alfred contemplated if he should check it or not. After a while, he decided he saw no harm in just taking a little peek. He flipped it open, noticing a voice message from an unknown caller. Well… to him anyways. After typing in the password, (let's just say Alfred tends to snag Matthew's cell whenever he runs out of minutes…) he listened in on the message.

"Bonjour~ 'ow 'ave you been monami? Ah! Silly me… You must still be in school, non? Well, I suppose I will give you the good news now. I'll be coming to America shortly! A tournament is coming up that will be located in your city, which I just _cannot_ miss. Isn't that tresbien~? I 'ope you do not mind that I'll be staying at your place. Maman said she'd discussed it with auntie and talk to your… disgrace of a father. Anyway, call me back once you get my message. I have so much more to tell you. Au revoir~"

Alfred blinked. He couldn't believe his ears! He recognized that voice anywhere; Francis Bonnefoy: their cousin.

/0/0/

Lunch finally arrived and Sakura had successfully managed to escape Felicia's constant badgering over the whole Matthew ordeal by heading to the cafeteria a few minutes early. (Seeing as the girls didn't have the same class at the time) She sat at the table, pulling out her bento and began eating quietly.

"_Finally… Some peace and quiet,"_ she thought.

For the first fifteen minutes, it stayed that way. But once that much time had passed, she felt someone looming over her from behind. She stiffened slightly and suddenly two arms wrapped around her shoulders.

"Found you~ Thought you could escape me that easily?"

A giggle soon followed and Sakura gasped.

"Felicia-chan!"

"Did I scare you?" Felicia chirped.

Yes, yes she did. However, Sakura wasn't going to admit it…

"You…surprised me, is all," Sakura replied.

Felicia sat across from Sakura and smiled.

"You never mentioned that Matthew was cute."

Sakura sighed. She was not going to let up, was she?

"Is that so?"

Felicia frowned slightly and leaned forward on the table.

"Oh come on. Don't tell me he wasn't a _little_ attractive to you. Though he's a little on the quiet side," she noted.

Sakura felt her face heat up a bit. She was clearly not comfortable with this conversation. She looked down at her meal and picked at it.

"Well… he does have an appealing quality to him…" she whispered.

She quickly snapped out of it though.

"But that's not the point. I just met him and my purpose isn't to look for a potential boyfriend, but to get better at ice skating," Sakura argued.

Felicia couldn't help but look on knowingly.

"You just keep telling yourself that," she teased.

Monica shook her head, seating herself beside the Italian.

"Give it a rest already. Sakura is clearly embarrassed about the whole situation," she muttered.

Felicia pouted as Monica stared at her evenly. The look never fazed her.

"Monica, you're no fun…"

Monica shook her head.

"Who said I was fun?" she asked.

Sakura looked at the two with a sigh.

"Could we just drop the subject? Which reminds me… how are your siblings doing?"

Sure, it was an obvious change of subject, but the two decided to comply with Sakura's request.

"Sorella is the same as usual. She kicked out her boyfriend from the house again. I think it was because his birthday is coming up… She said something about looking for the perfect present," said Felicia with a shrug.

Monica sighed heavily.

"Bruder got into another argument with cousin Roderich… It must be about Elizabeta again. Honestly, he's supposed to be a grown man, yet he still acts like such a child," she said whilst shaking her head.

Sakura suppressed a chuckle. She wasn't the only one with a… unique sibling. The topic settled to lukewarm pleasantries, much to Felicia's dismay.

/0/0/

Yao's shift finally came to a close. He placed his notepad in its proper place and headed for the door. He walked to his car, unlocking it and was in the midst of entering when he heard footsteps heading in his direction. He turned slightly and spotted Ivan. He groaned. He had almost forgotten about him…

"Now about our talk?" said Ivan happily.

Yao stared at him for a moment before motioning over.

"Get in the car, aru. I'll drop you off at your place," he replied.

Ivan smirked slightly and entered the car.

"Okay."

Yao felt somewhat tense and questioned himself whether giving Ivan a ride was such a good idea. Ivan shut the door and buckled in. Yao gripped the steering wheel and started the car.

"You still live in the usual place?" Yao asked awkwardly.

Ivan nodded with the ever present smile.

"Of course~ I am surprised that you still remember."

The line struck a chord with Yao, but he stayed silent. He slowly eased out of the parking lot and onto the street. The ride was rather awkward on Yao's part and the silence seemed a bit overbearing.

Yao focused on the road and stopped at a red light when he suddenly felt a finger trail up his arm. He froze for a moment before whipping his head to the right, his ears reddening some.

"What are you doing?"

Ivan chuckled gently.

"You always were sensitive to my touch." (A/N o/o DX I'm a pervert)

Yao felt his cheeks heat up a bit. He was speechless and his mind seemed to almost go into shock, until he heard a car blare its horn in annoyance. He turned back to the road and made a left turn.

"Please refrain from touching me anymore than necessary."

Ivan pouted a bit and Yao took a deep breath in order to compose himself.

"Besides, you should know better than to bring up what's in the past. You had no right," he muttered.

Ivan complied with keeping his hands to himself.

"No right? I think I have every right. Why can't we go back to how things used to be?"

The car suddenly screeched to a halt and Yao glared back at Ivan.

"No. You don't get it do you? You seem to have forgotten the reason why we broke it off, Ivan. So let me refresh your memory."

Yao began loosening his collar and unbuttoned his shirt, bringing it down to about mid back where an ugly scar stood out against his pale, almost flawless complexion.

"This! This is why I no longer want to be associated with you. Do you have any idea how hard it was to blatantly _lie_ to my little sister about the whereabouts of _this_?"

He also remembered the tears and turmoil it caused her. He had begged the hospital not to let her know the actual reason and they complied. That was almost four years ago… Yet he still remembered the burning sensation on his back.

Ivan was silent as he stared at the scar. Yao then hastily fixed his shirt.

"We're here," he said coldly.

Ivan silently unbuckled his seatbelt and exited the car. Not long after he got onto the sidewalk, did he see his little sister (Natalya) peeking from the living room window with a slight scowl.

/0/0/


	4. 1 part 4 Lessons and Budding Affection

**Hey everyone! Yukihime211 here. Here's the fourth installment! I hope you enjoy reading even more drama~ **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or it's characters. They belong to Hidekaz Himuraya**

* * *

><p>First Encounter<p>

Chapter 1.4

Lesson number two with Mr. Williams

One week had passed since Sakura and Matthew had come to the agreement of training. It was a Thursday afternoon when the two decided to head over to the ice rink for practice. They arrived to the chilly arena which was surprisingly fairly empty. After Sakura had paid for the skate rental, she sloppily headed over to the rink.

"A-alright. What's next?" she asked.

Matthew helped steady her some and thought for a moment.

"Let's try going around the rink a few times to get warmed up. You remember what I taught you last time?"

She nodded slightly and took a deep breath before slowly grabbing onto the wall for support.

"Just take it one step at a time," she told herself.

Sometime later…

Things were actually going pretty well. That is… until more people showed up. Horsing around and skating around expertly. Someone actually had the idea of making a chain and then forming a sort of whiplash.

The chain was slowly growing in size and some people managed to get dragged inside. Matthew had managed for the most part to keep Sakura a safe distance from the ever growing chain.

Oblivious, Sakura had finally moved away a safe distance from the wall and ice skate on her own. Something she was quite proud of.

"Coming through!"

Sakura glanced to her left curiously.

"Eh?"

Before she had time to register what was happening, a hand shot out and grabbed onto her wrist. Several feet away, Matthew gasped at the situation. The chain had gotten to her.

There were about twelve people in all, including Sakura and they were starting to pick up speed, fast.

Panic flooded Matthew's face as he attempted to skate over as quickly as possible.

"Wait!" he called out.

Sakura tensed slightly.

"W-what's going on?"

The one grasping her wrist was a tall blonde with spiky hair.

"You'll find out soon enough!" he chirped.

For some reason, she didn't like the sound of that.

"One…two…three!"

Suddenly, the hand that was once around her wrist was gone. She was grateful, but not for long when she practically flew across the rink, heading straight for the wall. Her mind blanked as she completely forgot how to stop. Her hands flew to her face as she banged onto the wall violently.

Horror struck on Matthew's face as he quickly skated towards her.

"Sakura! Are you okay?!"

A soft groan escaped her lips as she slowly managed to sit up. Matthew kneeled beside her.

"Sakura?"

She glanced at Matthew tightlipped.

"I-I'm alright. Just stunned," she replied.

She slowly made the move to stand up, but winced. Upon closer inspection, he saw a nasty scrape along her ankle. He wouldn't be surprised if she had more bruises littering her arms and back.

The same blonde skated over curiously.

"Is she okay?"

Matthew looked up with a glare. The young man was a little taken aback.

"Are you stupid or something? Of course she's not. Why would you do that to a complete beginner, huh?"

The blonde frowned slightly.

"How was I supposed to know?"

Matthew shook his head with annoyance before standing up and helping up Sakura.

He supported her as the two headed for the benches.

"Th-this really isn't necessary," protested Sakura.

She was going to protest more, but when Matthew looked at her sternly, she quieted.

They finally reached a bench and Sakura sat down. Matthew glanced at the locker.

"Wait here. I have a small kit in my bag in case of these types of situations," he explained.

Sakura nodded slowly, although was curious why he would carry something like that.

He returned shortly and ordered Sakura to show him the scrape. She complied and he took out a small disinfectant spray.

"Sorry in advance."

She winced at the slight sting.

"It's… okay," she said softly.

He retrieved a bandage and placed it on the wound.

"There."

Matthew smiled and Sakura blushed slightly.

"Ano…Thank you," she whispered.

Matthew looked on rather shyly.

"No problem…"

As an after though…

"Want to head up to the lounge area? I don't think we'll be skating for a while, what with your injury. You don't want to strain anything, so you should consult your doctor about it," he suggested.

Sakura was a little downcast over the idea of postponing it, but knew he was right.

"Alright…"

After slipping out of the skates and back into regular shoes, the two slowly climbed the steps to the upper, much warmer area of the building.

0/0/0

Yao yawned as he neared the door leading to his house. His backpack secured on one arm as he slipped the key into the hole and entered the living room. He closed the door behind him and set his backpack on the couch and sat beside it.

It had been a fairly long day as he had both work and school that day. At least now he could relax, at least for a little while. Sakura had mentioned she'd return home late due to some after school activities. As much as he wanted to press on more information from her, he decided that today he'd let it slide. It wasn't like he didn't trust her or anything; it was more that he didn't trust other guys around her.

His reverie was broken when he heard the doorbell.

"Who could it be?"

He stood from the couch and opened the door, revealing a rather busty woman with a basket in hand. Her platinum blond hair was short and pushed back with a yellow headband.

"Yekaterina?"

Her blue eyes looked moist and in hand, she held a basket.

"Good evening Yao. I'm sorry for barging in like this… but can we talk?"

Yao nodded and let her in, leading her into the kitchen.

"So… what brings you here?"

Yekaterina settled the basket onto the table.

"Well… it's about Vanya…" she began.

Yao sighed heavily.

"I already told that go-," he started.

Yekaterina quickly interrupted.

"Please! Just listen…" she begged.

He sighed heavily.

"Alright… go on."

She rummaged through her basket and placed a tightly wrapped cheese on the table.

"Would you like to try a bit of this? It's made from the finest goat's milk," she said, straying from the topic.

Yao shook his head.

"No thanks. Now… could we please get back on topic?"

She sighed and nodded.

"Vanya… he really is a nice boy. Just misunderstood and I can't bear to watch him be all mopey…"

Yao sighed, knowing where this was going, but listened anyways.

"And?"

Yekaterina shifted slightly.

"Well… Is there any possibility that the two of you could work out your differences? You know… he really loves you…"

He kept silent. Poor girl… she really had no idea what the real reason was the two separated. It was better that way, he supposed. He knew about the hardships she had gone through raising both her younger siblings at a young age when their parent's passed away. (Mainly because Ivan told him about it) It would break her heart if she knew how her brother could get sometimes. He blamed the alcohol…

"Yekaterina… I appreciate your efforts, but what Ivan and I had a long time ago can't be fixed. Not now… not ever. I've moved on and he should as well. It's just… better this way," he replied.

Yekaterina stared at him intently and a sad smile crept up on her lips.

"You say that… but when I look deep into your eyes, I know the real answer."

Yao quirked a brow curiously.

"Oh, and that would be?"

Yekaterina's eyes watered slightly for some reason.

"You still love him."

Yao's eyes widened and he felt his heart lurch.

"W-what? That's absurd!"

Yekaterina stood from the chair.

"Just think about it… alright?"

She showed herself to the door after grabbing her basket and glanced at the stunned young man.

"Oh… and think of the cheese as a gift."

Once she closed the door behind her, Yao finally reacted. He buried his face in his hands and he sighed heavily with pink tinted cheeks.

0/0/0

"See ya' later Alfred!"

Alfred exited a friend's car and nodded, waving slightly.

"Yeah! Oh, and don't forget tomorrow's match is at 6 sharp, okay?"

There was a nod of affirmation before his friend took off. He turned to his house and it dampened his mood. There was no use avoiding going in… He entered the house and quickly bounded up the stairs.

"Ahem. Where do you think you're going?"

Alfred groaned. Great… busted. He turned around and saw his father glaring up at him.

"What?"

Arthur directed his gaze towards the kitchen.

"Have you forgotten? It's your turn to set the table."

Alfred rolled his eyes and walked into the kitchen to see the damage. It was a known fact that Arthur was hopeless when it came to cooking. He nearly gagged when he saw a charred pan of meatloaf sitting on the counter.

He made sure Arthur had gone upstairs before he sped dialed the source of their sustenance.

"Hey, Steve? Yeah it's me. It's meatloaf this time. Uh-huh. No way, seriously? That's tough man. Okay. See ya' in fifteen minutes. Heh. Thanks… Bye."

It was a ritual as old as time. Whenever it was their turn to 'set the table' they took the opportunity to order take out.

If not… well they'd be in bed for a week due to the poison their dear old dad called 'food'.

0/0/0

Sakura and Matthew sat across each other, mainly talking about school whilst they drank their hot chocolate.

"Oh, that means you have Mrs. Winters as your biology teacher as well? Her class can be a little difficult," noted Sakura knowingly.

Matthew agreed.

"Yeah… last quarter I got a 75 on her exam. Even though I studied…"

The two went on into more discussion until it was nearly eight.

"Wow… Time just flew by so quickly today, huh?"

Sakura nodded and she gingerly stepped onto her injured ankle. It wasn't as bad as before, but it still hurt a bit.

"Yes… We should probably start heading home…"

She was a little wary at the thought. If Yao saw the injury, he'd blow a gasket. She'd manage somehow… hopefully.

"True… How's your ankle feeling?"

She smiled slightly.

"Much better, thank you," she answered.

Matthew was relieved.

"That's good," he whispered.

Matthew soon after insisted he take her home, but she declined after assuring him she'd be fine. The two then parted ways.

Once Sakura was sure that Matthew was out of sight, she dialed Monica's number. After a few rings, she picked up.

"Hello?"

Sakura was glad she had.

"Hello, Monica? It's Sakura. I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor."

Wang-Honda Residence…

"Thank you again Monica-san. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it," said Sakura gratefully.

"Ja… You're welcome Sakura. But next time, do try to be more careful. Don't want you to turn out like Felicia…"

Sakura laughed nervously.

"I will, promise."

She exited the car, waving as Monica drove away. She entered the house, which was rather dimly lit for some reason.

"Maybe Yao-nii went to sleep early?"

She shut the door behind her and limped to her room.

"Sakura, is that you?"

She winced. It looked like Yao was in the kitchen. She lightly walked towards the kitchen, trying not to draw attention to the injury.

"Hi…"

She found Yao at the table with a cup of tea beside him. He looked a little out of sorts for a moment, but it was soon replaced with some energy.

"About time you got home. I was beginning to worry," he chided gently.

She smiled slightly.

"Gomen. I must have lost track of time."

He nodded and motioned her across from him. She stood there hesitantly before sitting down and wincing.

"Aha!"

Yao looked on with satisfaction.

"I knew something was up," he said to himself.

She sighed.

"How?"

Yao chuckled.

"Simple. You think I can't distinguish the sound of limping from all the way here? I know you better than that. Of course you'd try to hide something like that. Now, show me."

She showed him the bandaged ankle.

"How precise… Must have had the nurse bandage it," he hypothesized.

Sakura stayed silent, never mentioning that it was in fact, not the school nurse but a boy. He looked back at her.

"Well… we'll go to the clinic first thing in the morning to have it checked, just in case."

Sakura groaned.

"Fine…"

So much for trying to keep the injury a secret…

0/0/0

Felicia skipped happily to Chiara's place. It had been a while since she'd visited and figured she'd stop by. She knocked on the door.

"Sorella~ Are you home?"

The door opened, revealing a brunette with loose, dark brown curly hair. She had a red headband and stormy hazel eyes.

"What?"

Felicia grinned, use to her elder sister's rudeness.

"So! What's new?" she chirped.

Chiara rolled her eyes, pulling her little sister inside.

"Honestly. You have any idea what time it is? Nonno won't be pleased if he find out you snuck out to come see me," she said, a little bitterness in her voice when she talked about her grandfather.

It was the whole reason she had moved out in the first place.

"You worry too much," said Felicia in a laid back fashion.

Chiara groaned.

"Whatever… Anyway, I'm glad you're here though. I've got a job for you."

Felicia looked on excitedly, jumping a bit.

"Really? What is it?"

Chiara handed her several envelopes.

"Here, take them."

Felicia studied the envelopes curiously.

"Uh… what exactly are they for?"

Chiara threw her arms with exasperation.

"Idiota! Do I always have to spell it out for you? They're invitations."

Felicia took a moment to register it and then nodded.

"Oh… I get it! You want me to hand these out. For Antonio's surprise party, right?"

Chiara crossed her arms, looking at the ground.

"It's not like I care or anything. It's just that if I didn't throw him one, he'd go on and on about it, you know?"

Felicia giggled. Chiara could be so silly sometimes. Even though she acted as if she could care less, she really was a softie when it came to family and her boyfriend.

"Uh-huh. Alright! Leave it to me~ Hey, sorella?"

Chiara sighed.

"What is it now Felicia?"

Felicia got into begging mode.

"Is it okay if I also invite a couple friends to the party?"

Chiara sighed.

"Do you mean Sakura and Monica? Fine do what you want."

Felicia cheered.

"Yay~ Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

A little smile crept up to the sourpuss' face.

"Yeah, yeah whatever," she said shaking her head.

0/0/0

The next day…

Matthew yawned and glanced at his calendar as he was getting ready for school.

"Looks like I have another match today…" he noted.

He bounded down the stairs after he was done changing. He entered the dining room, where Alfred was groggily eating soggy cereal. He shook his head slightly and glanced at the remnants of what looked to be scrambled eggs stuck to the frying pan.

Matthew was always the one cleaning after his dad's messes. Using a spatula, he scraped out the eggs and threw them in the trash.

He glanced at the clock, checking how much time he had before the need to take off to school. He nodded with satisfaction and took out the ingredients for pancakes.

The sound immediately broke Alfred from his sleepy daze.

"Making pancakes Mattie? Awesome! Make mine with chocolate chips, 'kay?"

Matthew sighed softly and nodded.

"Sure…"

0/0/0

"Ve~ Monica!" cried out Felicia.

Monica looked up from her book, a little irritated as study hall had just commenced.

"What is it now?" she hissed.

Felicia grinned and raised a finger as she rummaged through her bag.

"It's around here somewhere…"

Monica shook her head.

"Let me guess… You'd like to copy my math homework?" she guessed.

Felicia focus never strayed from her backpack and then after a few minutes she finally found what she was looking for.

"Aha! Here it is."

Instead of math homework, she had produced an envelope.

"I'm not sure whether I should ask or not…" muttered Monica.

Felicia handed the envelope to Monica.

"It's an invitation. Sorella said I could invite a couple friends over for Antonio's party," Felicia explained.

Party? Well, Felicia had mentioned that her older sister was planning a surprise party. Not exactly her cup of tea… but she knew if she refused that Felicia would bug her until she gave in.

"Is that so?"

Felicia nodded.

"It's on Sunday. You think you can make it?"

Monica was quiet for a moment.

"Ja. But I have no idea what I should get Mr. Carriedo as a gift," she explained.

Felicia smiled.

"Then… you want to go shopping later? I could probably help you out."

Monica paled some, knowing that Felicia happened to be a shopaholic.

"On second thought… A nice gift card would work just fine."

Felicia pouted some, but didn't push it. She looked around curiously.

"By the way… have you seen Sakura?"

Monica looked around as well and noted that Sakura was indeed absent.

"She must have gone to the doctor or something."

Felicia gasped.

"What happened?"

Monica sighed.

"It really isn't my business to tell. But since I know you'll badger me…She called me yesterday to pick her up from her skating lesson. She said she strained her ankle when she slammed into the rink's wall. Something about a chain…"

Felicia winced. Slammed into a wall? That sounded really painful…

The door gently opened as Sakura walked in with a slight limp. Her ankle was tightly wrapped and at her side was a crutch.

In hand, she had a pink slip. Felicia's eyes widened and she nearly tackled the poor girl to the ground.

"Sakura! Are you okay? Please tell me you're okay!" she wailed.

Sakura felt her balance waning and thankfully, Monica pried Felicia from her.

"E…eto. I'm alright. It was only a slight sprain. I should be back on my feet in a few days. The crutch is just a precaution."

Monica smiled slightly.

"That's good."

Felicia nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, it'd be horrible if you couldn't go ice skating with your knight in shining armor anymore," Felicia teased.

Sakura felt her cheeks heat up.

"Can we please not have this discussion again?" she whispered.

Felicia merely giggled.

"But it's just so cute to see you all flustered~"

Sakura took a seat and sighed, gazing at Monica for help.

"I hear we have a pop quiz in history. Did you remember to study, Felicia?"

Felicia gasped.

"Oops… that was today?"

Monica shook her head.

"You're hopeless…"

Felicia took her seat in between Sakura and Monica and the three went to work.

"What's the Capital of Hungary again?" asked Felicia out of the blue.

Sakura chuckled as Monica groaned.

"We've been over this before."

Sometime later, the announcements went on.

"Good morning Hetalia Academy! How are all my lovely students doing today? Well, we've got some important announcements here, so I'll have Toris take it from here!"

There was a sound of shuffling and a scraping chair.

"Ah, yes. Good morning everyone. Toris Laurinitis here. I'd like to start off with our games. At seven, our football team will be facing off against Watercrest high school today on their…turf? Feliks… do I really have to-," began Toris.

In the background, a preppy voice was heard.

"Like, just read it like I wrote it, kay?"

There was a sigh.

"Fine… Let's move on. Our hockey team will be playing today as well at six o clock. A home game…"

The announcements went on and Felicia looked at Sakura.

"Didn't you say that Matthew was on the hockey team?"

Sakura nodded.

"And?"

Felicia crossed her arms.

"Anyone up for going to today's game?" she chirped.

0/0/0

Matthew exited the classroom after the last bell, feeling a little upbeat about the game.

"Yo, Williams!"

Matthew looked back, and spotted one of his teammates.

"Yeah?"

The guy grinned, patting his back.

"We're going to destroy our competition tonight!"

Matthew nodded, smiling with confidence.

"Right," he agreed.

A mass of athletes headed for the locker room to get changed, the game on their mind. Matthew entered the locker room and made a beeline for his locker.

"Mattie~"

Matthew glanced over and saw Alfred dressed in his football uniform.

"Hi Alfred…" he greeted.

Alfred grinned, slapping a hand on Matthew's shoulder.

"Good luck in your game!" he chirped.

Matthew smiled.

"You too," he replied.

It was moments like this that made Matthew happy that he had Alfred as a brother. Not that he had anything against him… it was just that Alfred was always the one dominating the attention… He cleared his mind of the thought and quickly changed, ready to go out there and give it his all.

0/0/0

Sakura finally reached the stands with Monica and Felicia trailing beside her. Due to her… temporary disability, she wasn't exactly that thrilled going up the stairs to a seat. After what seemed like forever, they found a seat and took their place.

_"How did I let her talk me into this?"_ Sakura wondered as she glanced at Felicia.

Felicia was giggling happily, chattering about some party that her sister was throwing. She turned towards the rink, where nets had been set up on either side. She wasn't exactly what you'd call a hockey expert, but she got the very basics. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the players entered the rink. The match was about to begin. The crowd began cheering for their school, and Sakura could feel the excitement fluttering in her chest. It must have been the influence of those around her.

After everyone took their position, a puck was placed on the center, ready for whoever reached it first. The whistle was blown, and the game was in motion.

0/0/0

Arthur sighed once his class had let out. He glanced at his watch. It had definitely been a long day, especially after getting into a heated discussion with one of the other Professors about Shakespeare. All he wanted to do was to go home and get some much needed sleep.

After stuffing his briefcase with the pop quizzes he had yet to finish correcting, he headed out. He exited the school and entered the nearly empty parking lot. A cold breeze past through the air, causing him to shiver involuntarily. He pulled the collar of his coat closer and entered his car.

Just as he was buckling in, he heard a gentle rapping on his window. He slowly turned toward the noise, clearly annoyed. He gazed at the person before him and couldn't help but look on with surprise.

It was definitely a familiar face; one that belonged to the Culinary Arts department. Professor Victoria Laurinitis. (Note: I accidentally used Lithuania twice as two different characters, so… let's just say Victoria and Toris are related. Again, sorry about that. ^^;) Her bright blue eyes twinkled lightly and her light brown hair was tied in a small ponytail. She still donned an apron and he took note of the flour smeared on it.

He rolled down the window curiously and she smiled.

"Oh good... I'm glad I caught you before you left."

She was… glad?

"Can I help you with something Ms. Laurinitis?"

She shook her head and waved a manila folder with his name on it.

"That won't be necessary. Actually, I happened to come across this in the lounge and it had your name on it so... I'm guessing this is important," she explained.

Arthur nearly slapped his forehead. How could he have left something so vital and not realized it?

"Ah… thank you Ms. Laurinitis. You have no idea how grateful I am," he said, slightly embarrassed.

He took the envelope and placed it on top of his briefcase.

"Victoria."

Arthur's emerald eyes met her blue ones.

"What?"

She shifted slightly and her cheeks flushed.

"Uh… you can just call me Victoria. No need to be so formal."

A small smile crept its way onto Arthur's lips.

"Pardon me, Victoria then."

Victoria still looked a little flushed, but she couldn't help but smile.

"Anyway… I should probably let you go. Um…Sorry for bothering you when you were on your way home," she said apologetically.

Arthur shook his head.

"It's perfectly alright. You were right about the manila being important. Again, thank you. Well, I suppose I'll take my leave now then," he explained.

She nodded and the two bid each other a farewell.

As Arthur drove off, he contemplated asking her to go out for some tea or something as thanks the next time they met. After all, he was an English gentleman.

The more he pondered about it, the more he thought it wouldn't be such a bad idea…

0/0/0

Matthew looked on with concentration as his teammates continued passing along to puck. Watercrest really was a tough match up. Though, he was determined to make sure they won the game. This would possibly lead them to the semi-finals.

Watercrest intercepted, taking hold of the puck and headed straight towards their goal. The same glint passed through Matthew's violet eyes. Losing was not an option. He sped off to the one in control of the puck and stole it back, sending it flying along the ice and towards one of his teammates.

In the process, however, he was rammed into the wall. A grunt of surprise escaped his lips.

Sakura watched from the stands in surprise and held her breath. Was he okay? Felicia stole a glance at her ever reserved friend and Monica stared on at the scene in awe. It really was quite an interesting game, if she did say so herself.

Matthew quickly recovered from the shock, more determined than ever.

After the match…

The crowd cheered loudly as the final goal had been placed, leaving the victors proud.

"Another victory goes to Hetalia Academy!"

Hetalia Academy Hockey players huddled together with ecstasy. They parted, heading off the rink and into the locker rooms.

"Was that a great game or what?"

The others couldn't agree more.

"Hey, let's head out for some pizza or something afterwards, this definitely calls for celebration," said one of his teammates.

Before the guys had a chance to chime in, their coach brought them down to earth.

"Don't get cocky. We haven't won yet. We still have a long way to go before heading to finals. Today's match was sloppy, and I intend to change that, you hear me?"

There was a soft murmur rippling through the locker room and the coach growled.

"I can't hear you!"

The guys stood straight.

"Yes sir!"

The coach nodded with satisfaction.

"Good. Now get out of here, all of you and have your fun."

The guys nodded, jostling cheerfully. Same old coach…

Matthew walked towards the door with duffle bag in hand and hair damp. He was silently cheering over their victory.

"Hey Williams!"

Matthew blinked, glancing over at a redhead… Tomas.

"Uh… yes?"

A little smirk played on Tomas' lips.

"You got yourself a cute looking girlfriend there. Her and her friends are waiting for you," he commented.

Matthew looked on blankly and walked out of the locker room, where Sakura, Monica, and Felicia were waiting.

He took note of the crutch at Sakura's side immediately, but before he had a chance to say anything, Sakura beat him to it.

"That was amazing!"

Monica was a startled at Sakura's little outburst, but kept silent.

He tilted his head, confused.

"Eh?"

Felicia intervened.

"We went to the game. You were pretty cool. Don't you think so, Monica?" she chirped.

Monica hesitated to answer, but then admitted that it was pretty remarkable. Matthew felt his cheeks redden a bit at the praise.

"Uh… thank you."

Sakura couldn't help smiling. When she saw Matthew on the ice like that, it really inspired her to improve. Sure, it wasn't super graceful or anything like a figure skater, but the sheer force was definitely impressive.

Matthew hesitated for a moment, but then faced Sakura.

"Uh, how's your ankle doing?"

Sakura glanced at her crutch in realization and then at him.

"Oh! It's nothing serious. I should be in top condition very soon."

He looked on with relief.

"That's good."

He looked like he wanted to say more, but was unable to.

"Williams! We're heading to Giovanni's Pizzeria. Are you coming or not?"

He glanced over to see his teammates looking at him expectantly. This was certainly new to him…

"Uh, sure. I'll be there in a minute," he called back.

Sakura gazed at the scene before her, a little disappointed.

"We should head out too," noted Monica.

Matthew turned back to the girls.

"Well then, thanks for coming to watch the game. Uh... I'll see you tomorrow," he stated, heading over to his team.

"Yeah… bye," Sakura replied meekly.

0/0/0

Chiara mailed the last of the invitations after sending Antonio out to buy some milk.

"Leche? But mi tomate, we have an entire gallon in the refrigerator that I just bought last Tuesday," he argued.

Chiara huffed with annoyance, yelling at him until he finally left. She felt a small pang in her chest when he left, but she really needed to send them out now if she wanted them to arrive in time. The only way to do that was to go directly to the Post Office as not to raise suspicion if Antonio decided to check the mail.

The walk wasn't very far, only a couple blocks. She reached the Post Office, where things were starting to slow down as it was almost time to close.

She entered the brightly lit office and placed the invitations on the counter.

"Chiara?" called out a familiar voice.

Chiara nearly froze as she slowly turned to the source. A man with dark hair with several stray curls and familiar amber eyes looked down at her. Stubble was evident along his chin.

"Nonno," whispered Chiara.

Of all people to encounter, it had to be her grandfather.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded weakly.

Her grandfather arched a brow and sighed.

"Always so hostile…" he murmured.

He motioned to the envelope in hand.

"I'm merely here to send out this envelope to Florence," he explained.

Chiara was still tense as she turned back towards her own errand. Her grandfather nonchalantly glanced at her invitations.

"Still living with that good for nothing man I see," he said a little coldly.

Chiara could feel her blood boil. After making sure her invitations were secured and ready to send out, she glanced back at grandfather.

"Antonio is not 'good for nothing' as you put it! I love him, and that's not going to change anytime soon. You just can't seem to get it through your head."

He scoffed.

"Clearly blinded by love… If you had only listened to me two years ago about leaving him, maybe things would have been a lot different."

Like their strained relationship… Unable to see her little sister without restrictions… Being looked down upon by her family… Hell, her family was living life in luxury, something she had been accustomed since she was a baby. But after choosing Antonio over money, things changed.

Don't get her wrong, the two lived pretty decently, but that was only because the two had managed to recently get pretty good jobs. When she first broke from her family, the two had lived in a dingy apartment that was falling apart. Antonio and Chiara had to live on cup of noodles as their only source of sustenance for almost four months. Thank God for friends. She used to be too proud to accept anything from anyone, but they helped them out through the tough times by providing them with so much until they found some stability. For a while, luxury was not an option, but with a lot of hard work and perseverance, things were okay. Sure, it wasn't like she could go on a shopping spree whenever she deemed fit anymore, but in the end, it was worth it.

Chiara whipped back towards her grandfather.

"That may be true, but if you thought turning your back on your own granddaughter played no part in it, then you're sadly mistaken!"

Some of the employees looked at them uncomfortably, not sure how to intervene.

"That was the consequence of choosing _him_ over your own flesh and blood," he said steadily.

Chiara looked on with disbelief. Could nothing get through his pigheadedness? She managed to blink away tears that were aching to creep out. He would have much rather seen her crawling back to him, even if it meant her almost starving.

"You know what? Go to Hell! I never want to see your stupid face ever again! You may have disowned me, but now I truly understand that it was never worth being part of that family if it meant being related to someone so heartless! Or is that what you call, 'Vargas Pride'?!"

She stomped out of the Post Office, leaving behind her stunned grandfather.

"Good! Let that entire spiel sink in! Maybe he'll finally understand!"

She doubted it though. By the time she reached her home, she realized that Antonio had finally returned. Antonio smiled rather proudly with milk in one hand and a clear plastic bag filled with her favorite type of tomatoes in another.

His smile faded however, when he saw her face contoured in a shaky frown.

"Chiara? Is something the matter?"

That did it; she was no longer able to suppress her emotions. Tears bubbled from the corner of her eyes and her lip trembled.

"Idiota!" she exclaimed.

He looked on with confusion, drawing closer to her.

"I…don't understand."

She rubbed at her eyes furiously, trying to rid herself of the tears, but they just kept coming.

"Why are you always so damn good to me, even though I've caused you so much trouble?" she managed to choke out.

A softened expression crossed his face.

"Why? That's a silly question. You know very well why. It's because I love you, and you're worth everything in my possession."

He placed a comforting arm along her shoulders, staring into her eyes with such sincerity. Her sobs seemed to increase at the look and words. She nearly flung herself at him as she buried her face in his chest, holding him tightly as she cried.

Antonio rubbed small circles on her back as he attempted to soothe the distraught woman. He had an inkling of what had caused her to become so emotional.

"It's okay… let it all out," he coaxed.

Even though Chiara was crying, she managed to retort.

"S-shut up. I'll do whatever the hell I want…"

It came out somewhat muffled though, as her face was still buried in his chest. Antonio chuckled lightly, and merely held her close with tenderness. He was always so good to her, even if she could be a little bitchy sometimes… He loved her unconditionally, something her grandfather never seemed to get and it just felt right being held in his arms. She really loved Antonio and she knew nothing would ever change that.


End file.
